COUNTRY

Dierks Bentley, "Riser" (Capitol Nashville)

He isn't as flashy as some of his peers in the contemporary country arena, but Bentley has built impressive success — 10 No. 1 songs — on bedrock concepts that feel more quaint all the time: musicianship, emotional integrity and hard work. Those elements again make themselves known on his stirring seventh album, "Riser." While Bentley does traffic some in the small-town nostalgia and tip-it-on-back party anthems that are obligatory au courant Nashville currency — and a mainstay of the genre since its inception — he generally employs a less formulaic touch, making songs like "Five" feel like true personal reminiscences, not calculated crowd pleasers.

But "Riser" truly soars on the songs that transcend those tropes. The wistful ballad "Say You Do" manages to be simultaneously aching and sexy. "I Hold On" perfectly encapsulates how we imbue objects with sentimental symbolism. The playfully woozy "Drunk on a Plane" tells the story of a jilted groom with humor and heartache. And "Damn These Dreams" is a gorgeous explanation of the joys and heartaches of a working musician with a family.

Sarah Rodman, Boston Globe

JAZZ

Pat Metheny Unity Group, "Kin" (Nonesuch)

With his wild mane intact, it's difficult to believe 38 years have passed since jazz guitarist Metheny's debut as a leader — harder still, considering that his annual release schedule finds him restlessly crafting one-man bands (Orchestrion) and bugged-out small ensembles (with the likes of pianist Brad Mehldau and bassist Christian McBride) and covering modern avant-garde's most notorious composer, John Zorn. Couldn't Metheny do with a chill?

At first blush, his Unity Group recording seems like that thing, a relaxed-fit vibe co-conjured by reeds man Chris Potter, drummer Antonio Sanchez, bassist Ben Williams and multi-instrumentalist/ vocalist Giulio Carmassi (added to the Grammy-winning Unity Band lineup). Touched by the influence of maximal minimalist Steve Reich, waltzing gospel-ish ballads ("Born") and scintillating roomy sambas ("Sign of the Season") bristle with nervous calm. At times, the interplay of Metheny's cool blues and Potter's muscular reserve make for a tone that's gently intoxicating.

There's constant energy between Metheny and his band — wild thought bubbles filled with frizzy rugged polyrhythms ("On Day One") and curtly angular electro-blips ("We Go On") driving the guitarist's most rigorously complex yet contagious melodies in some time. With effusion and electricity, "Kin" proves that Metheny's sound is as mature as it is teasingly young.

Metheny performs March 16 at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul.

A.D. Amorosi, Philadelphia Inquirer